A Starry Night Away
by Ray Lou
Summary: The night Jamie learns of his parents' decision to divorce, Jack visits.


A Starry Night Away

* * *

Jack landed on the small balcony's railing. Sitting in front of him was a mound of blankets. Two eyes peered out from a gap, and Jack didn't need any more light than the moon and the street light provided to see the tear tracks.

"Hey, buddy, what's going on?" He dropped in front of the mound. "Jamie?"

"They're getting divorced."

"Who?"

"Mom and Dad."

Jack touched Jamie's shoulder. The blanket felt like ice and Jack could see light patches of frost. "You'll freeze out here. Let's go inside."

Jamie shook his head. The blanket wrapped around his head fell to his shoulders. "_No._"

"Why not?"

"Don't want to."

Jack sighed and walked to balcony's window. Jamie's bedroom lights were off, but Jack could see the faint outlines of his bed and desk. The window was open a crack, no doubt getting a good amount of cool air in.

He slid it open all the way, tossed his staff inside with a small drift of frost to ease it on the carpet gently. "Your room feels like a freezer. How long has the window been open?"

"I don't care."

"Jamie…"

"I'm not going in."

"You're being stubborn."

"Mom's keeping the house. Dad's moving out to Seattle." Jamie huffed. "Do I even call them that anymore? Or are they ex-mom and ex-dad? They call each other ex-wife and ex-husband now anyways."

"Come on. Let's go inside and you can talk to me about it."

"No…" Jamie's attitude was ebbing away.

"You'll feel better inside."

"If it's as cold in there as it is here-"

"_Jamie. _Come inside or I will freeze your butt over here."

"My butt's already frozen. I can't get up."

"Haha. Really funny." Jack scooped Jamie into his arms with some difficulty. It was hard to find the tiny body underneath the multiple blanket folds.

He hauled Jamie through the window and set him down on his bed. Jamie groaned and flopped onto his back. "Life sucks."

"_My _life sucks."

"Your parents aren't getting divorced."

Jack sucked in air.

Jamie sensed the ground he was treading on wasn't solid and added, "And you're not twelve. Twelve sucks."

"At least you're not three hundred years old. Look at me. And I'm stuck in an eighteen year old body. Everyone expects me to have all this wisdom, but I'm no Yoda."

Jamie snorted. He rubbed his eyes with his blanket. "Doesn't mean you're not smart."

"Of course not. If I've lived for three hundred years, I must be doing something right."

Jack turned the lamp on. The bulb was old and the light it cast was dim like the late afternoon sun. The last time Jack visited Jamie, the bulb was bright enough to illuminate the hallway. Now it just barely reached a foot out.

"You're _immortal_. You can't die." Jamie sat up. "Right?"

"As long as people believe in me, I'm good."

"_Really?_" Jamie widened his eyes. "So if no one believes in you, you'll die?"

"Something like that I guess. I've never gotten near that point, as far as I know."

"Maybe you fade from existence. Just like in that movie I saw last night. I forget what it's called, but it's rated R so _shhhh_." Jamie pressed a finger to his lips.

"Uh-oh. I'm telling Santa." Jack walked to the window and slid the window open. He slipped one leg out and then pulled it back in. Jamie watched him with an amused smile.

Jamie's mind was off the upcoming divorce. It was in the way that his eyes glimmered; the same way they shone when Jack introduced himself as the one and only Jack Frost.

Jack chuckled and Jamie on the bed. The first time Jack said he'd tattle to Santa, Jamie had believed him. The second time Jamie was more hesitant in believing. The third time he finally understood Jack's teasing.

"Are you going to sulk all night or do you want to hit the skies?"

"Hit the skies obviously!" Jamie threw off his blanket and then jumped off the bed. He was dressed in snow pants and a thick jacket. He'd planned this out.

"Are your parents home?"

If only he could suck the words back in his mouth. To his relief, Jamie didn't respond negatively at the mention of parents.

"Mom's Christmas shopping and Dad's doing a business call in the office. He takes _hours_ usually."

"If you get caught sneaking out I-"

"-will freeze them to solid ice. I know, _I know_! Now let's go!" Jamie held his arms up and did a short impatient dance.

Jack puffed his cheeks out. He exhaled with a laugh. "Alright, alright. Calm your horses, kiddo." He stood and hunched forward so Jamie could climb on.

Jamie didn't climb; he leapt.

"_Icicle sticks!_" Jack stumbled under Jamie's weight. "You're getting heavy!"

"Excuse me. I'm _fabulously thin._"

"That's my line," Jack laughed.

"Fine. Copyright Jack Frost." Jamie wrapped his legs around Jack's waist. When he settled in a sturdy position, Jack picked his staff up.

"Where to?" Jack walked to the window.

"Anywhere but here!"

"Okay."

Jack stared at the window. "You need to get off."

"Why?"

"The window."

"Oh. Right."

After they were out the window and onto the balcony, they took off.

The sky was dotted with countless stars, the air moist with cold. "It's going to snow tomorrow," Jack shouted over the whistling wind.

"Snow day!" Jamie whooped.

They climbed higher and higher until the city was a web of golden lights.

"I'm never gonna get sick of this!" Jamie threw his head back and let loose a scream that had Jack wincing, but he was in no mood to shush Jamie. With a divorce coming up, Jamie needed to get away.

Jack had seen what divorces did to children. For kids at Jamie's age, it wasn't pretty. There were the kids who handled it, and the kids who didn't. The majority of kids didn't handle it well. Jamie would be among them, Jack was sure.

"Higher! Higher!" Jamie chanted. He loosened his arms and drummed his hands against Jack's chest with each chant.

"Hey, hey." Jack leaned forward and tugged up at Jamie's leg; it was starting to slip. "Hold on tighter."

"'Kay." Jamie wormed his legs up to Jack's stomach.

Jack blasted off with a torrent of ice. For show, he did two quick barrel rolls. Jamie gasped and pressed his face into Jack's hood.

"Woah… Dizzy…" Jamie giggled. "Do it again."

Jack did, but slower this time. If Jamie got nauseous…

After four more rolls, Jack spotted the edge of the city and the start of the forest. He landed at the edge of a frozen lake, much more familiar than the urban city miles away.

Jamie dropped to the ground with a soft breath. "Wow… The moon lights it up like a nightlight."

"Pretty, isn't it?"

"I thought it was pretty in the day. But in the night, it's even prettier."

Jack thought back to the night he awoke on the lake. Three centuries, and the moon still illuminated the sky. MiM never tired, but Jack did.

"Why are we here?" Jamie squatted down and cupped snow into his hands. He palmed it into a snowball. "Did you want to show me the lake at night?"

"We can leave if you want."

Jamie threw the snowball halfheartedly at Jack. With a quick movement of his staff the snowball exploded into specks.

"You miss her a lot," Jamie said.

"I last saw her here. _Really_ saw her."

"I know what you mean." Jamie sounded like the sullen boy sitting on his balcony. "Today was the last day I really saw my parents."

Jack thought quickly. "Let's visit Bunnymund. He could use some help with decorating the eggs for next year."

"It's okay."

"He doesn't sleep during-"

"Jack, it's _okay_. I know what you're trying to do." Jamie's smile was fake and it tore the strings holding Jack's hopes. The boy's cheeks warmed to a distant pink. He looked at the ground like there was something he needed to find. "I don't need to forget about it. I just need time. Time heals all wounds. Or something..."

"Time heals wounds until all that remains are scars," Jack wanted to say.

"I'll get used to it. My friends, some of them have divorced parents. They're okay. It's not like they're depressed."

"It takes a lot of time," Jack said. He traced the space beside his feet idly. "And when your parents -" He couldn't bring other lovers up. Not when the wounds Jamie spoke of were so fresh.

Jamie looked up expectantly. "I know what you're going to say."

"When your parents start seeing other people…"

Jamie's shoulders dropped and his jaw slackened. "It's going to hurt a lot."

"Yeah." Jack looked up at the moon. He couldn't find the face that smiled down on him hundreds of years ago. "It will."

A face that Jack only picked out on the darkest of nights came forth from the white surface.

Tears left silvery trails on Jamie's cheeks and he dissolved into tears. Jack hugged him underneath the starry sky, and MiM shined down on them.

* * *

**A/N: **This will not be continued. I only have one continuing story as of now and that is "Song of Ice". The other fanfics are one-shots as well. If you followed them, don't expect updates. I may have a change of thought and continue one or two of them, but until then, I will only be continuing "Song of Ice". :P


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